etch

[ech]

verb (used with object)

1. to cut, bite, or corrode with an acid or the like; engrave with an acid or the like, as to form a design in furrows that when charged with ink will give an impression on paper.

2. to produce (a design, image, etc.) by this method, as on copper or glass.

3. to outline clearly or sharply; delineate, as a person's features or character.

4. to fix permanently in or implant firmly on the mind; root in the memory.

   Our last conversation is etched in my memory.

5. Geology.,  to cut (a feature) into the surface of the earth by means of erosion.

   A deep canyon was etched into the land by the river's rushing waters.

verb (used without object)

1. to practice the art of etching.

noun

1. Printing.,  an acid used for etching.

etch

/ ɛtʃ /

verb

1. (tr) to wear away the surface of (a metal, glass, etc) by chemical action, esp the action of an acid

2. to cut or corrode (a design, decoration, etc) on (a metal or other plate to be used for printing) by using the action of acid on parts not covered by wax or other acid-resistant coating

3. (tr) to cut with or as if with a sharp implement

   he etched his name on the table

4. (tr; usually passive) to imprint vividly

   the event was etched on her memory

Other Word Forms

• etcher noun
• unetched adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of etch¹

1625–35; < Dutch etsen < German ätzen to etch, originally cause to eat; cognate with Old English ettan to graze; akin to eat

Word History and Origins

Origin of etch¹

C17: from Dutch etsen, from Old High German azzen to feed, bite

Example Sentences

With the names of his children, Betty and George, etched on his shorts, Allen started to stalk Makhmudov, with a massive body shot followed by a right uppercut landing in the fifth round.

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There’s a stunning group of watercolors, seemingly breathed onto the paper, by Joseph Mallord William Turner, fragile etchings by Whistler and dazzling, light-struck waterside scenes by Sargent.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

We’ve all seen “desire paths,” those informal shortcuts that human feet etch in the ground near designated walkways as we insist on taking a more direct route to our destination.

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He looked at the whole complicated picture, the long history, the writing etched on the stones of the oldest archeological sites, and said: That’s fabulous beachfront property going to waste.

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Cam Schlittler grew up dreaming about one day etching his name into the storied history of baseball’s most famous rivalry.

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Related Words

• depict 
• engrave 
• imprint 
• incise 
• ingrain 
• inscribe 
• portray 
• stamp